When Logan was younger, he’d thought Michael McKillan was the greatest guy and alpha anyone could have. He’d been a regular visitor at Logan’s parent’s house until the shifter government started to implement their new laws.
McKillan changed, and so did Logan’s respect for him.
He was still a great alpha—pack well-being always came first. Except now it came first at the expense of everyone else.
“Right.” Logan stood and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease some of the tightness. “I better get back. Got another appointment in...” He checked his phone.Fuck.“Just over an hour.”
To his surprise, Jacob stood too and walked around his desk until he stood in front of Logan. He put his hands on Logan’s shoulders, grip strong.
“You need to take some time out for yourself.” His fingers dug in, massaging the taut muscle.
Logan groaned as his eyes dropped shut. “No time,” he muttered.
“Make time.”
“But—”
“Listen to me,” Jacob urged. “The next couple of weeks are going to need all your concentration. You can’t afford to be anything other than at your best. For all our sakes.” He gave Logan’s shoulders another squeeze before letting go and resting their foreheads together. “You need to be so careful, Logan, and that means taking time out to shift and run. Let go of some of this tension.” Standing back, he gave Logan a warm smile. “I need you to be safe.”
“I’ll do my best.” That was all he could promise.
Jacob nodded. “When you get home tonight, take Aaron with you and go for a run in wolf form. Both of you.” Before Logan could reply, he added, “Consider that an order.”
“Yes, Sir.” It wasn’t often Jacob gave him a direct order, and although he lacked the commanding tone of an alpha, as Logan’s direct superior—mentor of sorts—it still sent a shiver down his spine, his wolf eager to do as Jacob asked.
It gave Logan a sense of belonging that he badly needed right now.
Jacob was the one person who knew everything about his life—from his dislike of some of the things their pack did, the way McKillan ran it now, to the extent of his involvement with the Candidate Evacuation Group. He needed to feel that someone had his back, and Jacob gave him that, unreservedly.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said, stepping back towards the door.
Jacob’s quiet “Good luck” echoed in his mind for the rest of the day.
Instinct told him he was going to need it.
CHAPTER FIVE
“He’s not going to expect food, Mum.” Cole sighed as he watched his mum bustle about the kitchen, preparing a plate of pastries and biscuits.
When she disappeared into the utility room, his dad shook his head from where he sat at the table, opposite Cole. “Leave her be, son. She’s nervous and needs to be doing something.”
“I know, sorry.”
She wasn’t the only one nervously awaiting Logan’s arrival, though, and her rushing around was making Cole feel worse. “I’m not looking forward to this either,” he whispered as his mum came back in.
He’d told his mum and dad all about his first meeting with Logan, but he’d tried to tone down how much he hated the thought of joining the McKillan pack. At the end of the day, he didn’t have a choice, so what good would it do to make them worry too?
The knock at the door was loud, intrusive in the sudden quiet of their house, and all three of them froze.
His mum took a step towards the hall, but Cole was up and out of his seat, beating her to it. “It’s fine,” he said, motioning at her to sit down. “I’ll get it.” For some reason, he needed to be the one to let Logan inside.
Trying not to examine that thought too closely, Cole opened the front door wide, heart rate picking up as he came face-to-face with Logan on the other side. He looked more casual than he had the other day—in worn blue jeans and a heather-grey T-shirt. Cole’s gaze swept over him, automatically drawn to his tattoo. Far too beautiful for what it represented.
“Hey,” Logan greeted him with a smile, voice lower and rougher than Cole remembered. “It’s good to see you again.”
Nerves made Cole’s pulse race. Nothing else.
“Come in,” he said, stepping back. Despite his body’s reaction, Cole was not pleased to see him. Logan was the gateway to a future Cole desperately didn’t want, and all the attractiveness in the world wouldn’t change that. He led the way into the kitchen, hyper-aware of Logan behind him. “Mum, Dad,” he said, moving so they could see Logan better. “This is Logan McKillan. Logan, these are my parents.”
